Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

James Bond: Daniel Craig explains what convinced him to play 007 one last time

It turns out it was all down to ‘Casino Royale’

Jacob Stolworthy
Saturday 17 July 2021 15:09 BST
Comments
No Time To Die - Trailer

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Daniel Craig has explained what it was that prompted him to return as James Bond despite mentally quitting the role.

In September, the actor will return as 007 in the spy’s 25th outing, No Time to Die, which has originally set to be released in April 2020.

While the film will mark Craig’s final time playing Bond, he previously revealed he had no desire to return after finishing work on Spectre, which was released in 2015.

However, in a new interview with GamesRadar, Craig has elaborated upon how he was convinced to play 007 one last time.

“I thought I probably was physically not capable of doing another,” Craig said. “For me, it was very cut and dried that I wasn’t coming back.”

However, after a two-year break, he was approached by producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson and realised he had changed his mind.

“I went and did other things,” he said. “I got some separation. My family forgave me for being away from home for that length of time.”

Craig said that, during discussions, he came up with an idea about what the next film could be – a direct conclusion to the events seen in his first Bond film, Casino Royale (2006).

Daniel Craig as James Bond in ‘Casino Royale’
Daniel Craig as James Bond in ‘Casino Royale’ (MGM)

“We started talking about it and I went, ‘There might be a story we need to finish here – something we started in Casino [Royale]. Something to do with Vesper [Eva Green’s character], and Spectre, and something that was connected, in a way.’ It started to formulate. And I thought, ‘Here we go.’”

No Time to Die will be released in the UK on 30 September and in the US on 8 October.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in